Nathan Beaulieu was recalled to the Canadiens last week
with Hamilton’s season over. He played in six NHL games in his first season as
a pro. The Free Press called him a “superstar” which may be a bit premature.

CORBEIL

This is cool:

Very proud and honored to be one of
the Vancouver Canucks' black aces for a few weeks!
— Mathieu
Corbeil (@mathieutcorbeil) April
30, 2013

Corbeil, who played one-and-a-half seasons with Saint
John and helped the team win two President Cups and a Memorial Cup, spent the
2012-13 season playing for the Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League.
He went 10-9 with a 2.69 GAA and 0.915 SV% in the regular season and 3-1 record with a
2.24 GAA and 0.924 SV% in the playoffs.

Q PLAYOFFS

Stephen MacAulay is the only remaining former Sea Dog
playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. MacAulay and the
Halifax Mooseheads begin their President Cup Final series on Friday night at
the Metro Centre against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. That game will air nationally on Sportsnet.

MacAulay has five goals and seven assists in 11
post-season games. He had 13 points in last year’s playoff run with Saint John.
The Cole Harbour native is playing in his fourth straight President Cup Final.

Halifax is a perfect 12-0 in the post-season this year.
Game 1 of the championship series is Friday and Game 2 is Saturday before the
series shifts to Baie-Comeau.

LOTTERY

The Florida Panthers did not win last night’s NHL Draft Lottery, but they will be picking second overall in this year’s draft. With
Colorado selecting first, there is a good chance that Florida will get to choose either Nathan MacKinnon or Jonathan Drouin. Putting one of those two on a
line with Jonathan Huberdeau could be deadly.

Joining the UdeM program is former Saint John Sea Dogs
captain Pierre Durepos. The defenseman spent the past four seasons with Saint
John, helping the club win three regular season championships, two President
Cups, and a Memorial Cup.

Durepos played in just 43 regular season games in 2012-13
because of injury, recording six goals and 25 assists. He added an assist in
four playoff games. He was named team captain following the departure of
Jonathan Huberdeau.

The Aigles Bleus also announced today that, as basically
everyone on the planet expected, Alex and Allain Saulnier will be joining the
team. The twins have spent the past four seasons with the Moncton Wildcats.

Moncton finished the 2012-13 AUS season with a 12-10-6
record, placing them sixth in the eight-team league.

Former Sea Dogs captain Charles Bergeron spent five seasons
at UdeM from 2007-2012 while another former Dogs captain, Mike Thomas, will
begin his AUS playing career this fall at UNB.

Also, “police are investigating his 20-year-old son
Nathan Beaulieu — a top NHL prospect who’s joined the Montreal Canadiens’
looming playoff run — in the same incident just outside the hockey player’s
hometown, Windsor lawyer Patrick Ducharme said Monday.”

Jacques Beaulieu was behind the Sea Dogs bench from 2006-2009
while Nathan Beaulieu played the Dogs from 2008-2012. Jacques was fired as head coach and general manager at the
end of the 2008-09 season while Nathan stayed with the club and won two
President Cup titles and a Memorial Cup.

The Saint John Sea Dogs have done a lot in their eight
years of existence. So it was only a matter of time before the franchise began
to invade the NHL.

In this lockout shortened 48-game season, six former Sea
Dogs played at least one game in the National Hockey League. Jonathan Huberdeau
spent the entire season with the Florida Panthers while Simon Despres and
Charlie Coyle spent the majority of their seasons in the NHL.

The others who got the call to The Show this year - Nathan
Beaulieu, Mike Hoffman, and Eric Gelinas - all spent most of their seasons in
the American Hockey League. Hoffman has also battled injuries this season.

The stats:

Player

Team

GP

Goals

Assists

Points

PIM

Jonathan Huberdeau

FLA

48

14

17

31

18

Charlie Coyle

MIN

37

8

6

14

28

Simon Despres

PIT

33

2

5

7

20

Nathan Beaulieu

MTL

6

0

2

2

0

Mike Hoffman

OTT

3

0

0

0

2

Eric Gelinas

NJ

1

0

0

0

0

Former Dogs goaltender Robert Mayer also got called up to
the Habs this season to fill in as backup but never saw any action. And we can’t
forget about Canadiens assistant coach Gerard Gallant who, in his first season
with Montreal, helped win a division title.

Gallant and the Habs will face Ottawa in the first-round
while Coyle and the Wild take on Chicago and Despres and the Penguins face
the Islanders.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs captain played in all 48
games for the Florida Panthers in this lockout shortened National Hockey League
season, registering 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points.

Huberdeau’s 31 points tie him with Edmonton's Nail Yakupov for most
amongst first year players. He led rookies in goals for much of the year but
was passed by Yakupov (17) and Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher (15) on Saturday.

This is a good rookie class. Hopefully Huberdeau will - at
least - get nominated for the Calder Trophy.

Also impressive is the fact that Huberdeau finished
second on the Panthers in scoring, just four points back of team leader Tomas Fleischmann.
His 14 goals were tied for second most on the team.

Florida, who had unlimited injuries this year, finished the season with the worst record in the
NHL at 15-27-6. They have a good group of young players moving forward and have
a good chance at selecting first overall in this year’s draft. So, that's a positive.

Despite not playing with the Sea Dogs since December, the
19-year old still finished as their leading scorer with 16 goals and 29
assists in 30 games.

With a 4-0 victory tonight in Game 6 of their semi-final
matchup with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, the Drakkar win the series 4-2
and advance to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Final where they will meet
the Halifax Mooseheds.

Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau, Alexandre Ranger, Félix Girard,
and Valentin Zykov all scored for the Drakkar. Philippe Cadorette stopped all
24 shots he faced for the shutout.

The Drakkar finished second in the league with a
44-19-2-3 record in the regular season. They are 12-2 in this year’s playoffs.

It’s nice to see a small market team reach the President
Cup Final. It’s also nice to see two teams meet in the league final that have
some history between each other. Nathan MacKinnon was originally drafted by the
Drakkar but would not report, forcing the team to trade the star forward to
Halifax. Drakkar fans will surely give MacKinnon a nice welcome
when he comes to town for Game 3.

Game 1 is Friday night at the Metro Centre. Winner of the
series represents the QMJHL in Saskatoon.

Halifax's Stephen MacAulay is the only former Sea Dog remaining in the playoffs with Ryan Tesink and the Armada getting eliminated. With Blainville-Boisbriand's season now over, will we finally get some news on the Tesink trade investigation thing?

Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took a 3-2 lead in their
semi-final series against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada with a 2-1 overtime victory last night. Valentin Zykov scored the winner at 2:55 of OT. This was
the first game since the brawl between the two, meaning none of the regular
goalies dressed along with a number of other players. Armada third string
goaltender Storm Phaneuf got hurt, forcing Marc-Antoine Turcotte, who had never
played in the Q, to finish the game. Ryan Tesink is eligible to return if the
series goes to a Game 7. Game 6 is tomorrow.

The AHL playoffs began last night. Zack Phillips had an
assist as the Houston Aeros defeated Tomas Jurco and the Grand Rapids Griffins
3-0 in Game 1 of their first-round series. Phillips also had three shots while
Jurco was a -1 with one shot.

In the ECHL, Stanislav Galiev had two shots as the
Reading Royals defeated the Florida Everblades 3-2 in overtime last night. Their
second-round series in now tied 2-2. Galiev has three goals and six assists in
nine playoff games.

Former Sea Dogs defensemen David MacDonald and Charles-Olivier
Roussel both last lost night as the Cincinnati Cyclones fell 4-2 to Gwinnett
Gladiators. MacDonald, who played 60 games with Saint John in 2006-07, had two
assists, two shots, and a +2 rating. Roussel was a +1 with two shots and two
penalty minutes. That second-round series is tied 2-2 as well.

Tonight, Jonathan Huberdeau plays his final regular
season game of the year with the Florida Panthers. He enters action tonight
with 14 goals and 14 assists in 47 games. He is tied with Edmonton’s Nail
Yakupv and Ottawa’s Cory Conacher for first in points by a rookie with 28 and tied with
Yakupov and Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher for most goals with 14. The Panthers
play the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight.

The Mooseheads advanced to the QMJHL Final for the first
time since 2005 with a wild 9-6 win over the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Thursday
night, completing a four-game sweep. Halifax is a perfect 12-0 in this year’s
playoffs.

Former Sea Dogs forward Stephen MacAulay had three
assists in the game to go along with one shot and one hit. MacAulay will play
in the President Cup Final for a fourth straight year.

Halifax’s opponent has yet to be determined. In the other
semi-final, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and Baie-Comeau Drakkar are tied
2-2. Game 5 is tonight.

“To lose the Rocket would be, I think, a pretty severe
blow to all of the Atlantic teams,” said Long.

“I don’t think there’s a team in our division that wants
to see them leave. Obviously, we compete on the ice, but off the ice I think we
all have good relationships and we want to see that team stay right where they
are at.”

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Tonight, defenseman Eric Gelinas will suit up for the New
Jersey Devils as they battle the Pittsburgh Penguins at 8:30pm Atlantic
in Newark.

“I think we’re excited to see him and what he can do. He
has some special talents offensively,” coach Pete DeBoer told The Star-Ledger.
“So we’ll get a good look tonight.”

According to The Star-Ledger, “Gelinas, less than two
weeks from his 22nd birthday, will play on power play. He will be paired with
Peter Harrold.”

Gelinas will wear No. 32 for the Devils.

The offensive defenseman with a booming shot spent the
second half of the 2010-11 season with Saint John after being
acquired in a trade from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He had three goals and 17
assists in 27 games with Saint John and added another five goals and seven
assists in 19 playoff games. He helped the Dogs win the 2011 President’s Cup
and Memorial Cup.

Gelinas has spent the past two seasons in the American
Hockey League with the Albany Devils. In 57 AHL games this year he has six
goals and 16 assists.

He was originally drafted by New Jersey in the
second-round of the 2009 NHL Draft. Most prospect ranking websites and
magazines list him as one of the top prospects in the Devils system.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League has announced the suspensions and fines for last night’s post-game brawl between the
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

As fate would have it, former Sea Dogs forward Ryan
Tesink received one of the harshest suspensions – two games. He’ll miss both
Game 5 and 6 of this series, meaning there is a chance his junior career may
have ended on Wednesday.

The St. Louis Blues prospect has one goal in four playoff
games this year.

Here is the full list of suspensions and fines from a
QMJHL press release:

Moreover, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada forward,
Cédric Paquette, is fined $1 000 for his inappropriate behaviour at the end of
the game.

Each of the organizations is fined $5 000 and the head
coaches, Eric Veilleux and Jean-François Houle are suspended for the next 2
games.

So, like, nobody is playing in tomorrow’s Game 5.
Also, all four goaltenders have been suspended.

This brawl has gotten national attention so it’s good to
see the league announce suspensions quickly for once. You have to think
the sanctions would have been worse if this didn’t happen during a semi-final playoff
series.

The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5
tomorrow night in Baie-Comeau.

Former Sea Dog Danny Chiasson had an assist in the game.
He finished in a tie for top spot in the MHL’s playoff scoring race with 21
points (12 goals and nine assists). The 20-year old had 88 points in 48 regular
season games.

The Capitals also feature former Sea Dogs defensemen
Spencer MacDonald and Jason Seed. MacDonald, who played 65 regular season games
with Saint John in his career, had two goals and eight assists in 13
post-season games. Seed, who played in 22 games with the Dogs this season, had
three goals and eight assists in 13 matches.

The Bearcats feature former Dogs Grant West, Dylan
McGuigan, and David Mosher.

Summerside now moves on to the Fred Page Cup. They’ll
also be hosting this year’s Royal Bank Cup.

Two Saint John Sea Dogs cracked the list of 210 ranked
North American skaters – forward Stephen Anderson at No. 127 and defenseman
Jurij Repe at No. 205.

Anderson was not ranked in Central Scouting’s mid-season rankings. After a slow first-half, he picked it up offensively in the
second-half and finished the season with 12 goals and 15 assists in 63 games.
He had just four goals and four assists at the Christmas break. In two playoff
games he added an assist.

The three have never reported to Saint John. Sherman was
selected by the team in the 13th-round of last year’s QMJHL Entry
Draft. Gravel was a third-round pick in 2011 and was later traded to the
Oceanic where he had 20 points in 48 games this season. Segalla was an
eighth-round pick in 2011 but was later lost to the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the
expansion draft.

Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin were the top-ranked
QMJHL players, coming in at No. 2 and No. 3. Zach Fucale was the top
goaltender.

The Mooseheads grabbed a 3-0 series lead over the
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies with a 3-2 overtime victory last night at Iamgold Arena.
Game 4 of the semi-final series is tomorrow night in Rouyn-Noranda.

Jonathan Drouin scored the winner at 16:01 of overtime.
It was the second straight game that required overtime in this series. Although all
three games have been close.

Konrad Abeltshauser and Stefan Fournier also scored for
the Moose while Marcus Power and Francis Perron scored for the Huskies. Former
Sea Dogs forward and current Moosehead Stephen MacAulay had an assist, three
shots, a hit, and two penalty minutes.

In the other semi-final, the Blainville-Boisbraind Armada
finally showed some life as they defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar 3-0. The Drakkar
still lead that series 2-1 with Game 4 going tonight in Boisbriand.

Former Sea Dogs forward Ryan Tesink, playing in just his
third game of this year’s playoffs, scored his first of the post-season in the
second period. It was his first goal since January 5. The St. Louis Blues
prospect added four shots, four penalty minutes, and a +1 rating in the game.

Xavier Ouellet and Christopher Clapperton also had goals
for the Armada. Etienne Marcoux only had to make 17 saves for the shutout
victory.

If you haven’t heard, Armada forward and New Jersey
Devils prospect Stefan Matteau was cut by the team. Cedrick Henley chirped him on Twitter. The QMJHL playoffs, man.

The St. Louis Blues prospect had five shots in the loss along with two hits, one faceoff win, and four minutes in penalties. Most
media who watched the game said he looked pretty good out there.

Christian Marti had the Armada’s only goal. Jeremy Gergoire
and Valentin Zykov scored for the Drakkar.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is today at 5pm.

The other semi-final that features the Halifax Mooseheads
and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies begins tonight at 7pm at the Metro Centre.

Elsewhere...

In the MHL last night, the Truro Bearcats
evened the Kent Cup Final at 1-1 with a 4-3 double-overtime victory over the
Summerside Western Capitals. Former Sea Dogs Grant West and Jason
Seed had goals in the game. Summerside features former Dogs Seed, Spencer MacDonald,
and Danny Chiasson while Truro features West, Dylan McGuigan, and David Mosher. Game 3 is tomorrow afternoon in Summerside.

Friday, April 19, 2013

From en entertainment standpoint, the second-round of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s playoffs were bad. Real bad.

There were three sweeps and a series that went five
games. There hasn’t been playoff hockey since last Friday.

So, let’s hope the third-round is much better. Tonight,
the Baie-Comeau Drakkar begin their series with the Blainville-Boisbriand
Armada and tomorrow the Halifax Mooseheads kick off their matchup with the
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada have confirmed via the Twitter machine that Ryan Tesink will play tomorrow night. The Armada begin their semi-final playoff series against
the Baie-Comeau Drakkar tomorrow evening at 8:30pm Atlantic at the Henry
Leonard Centre.

Tesink was traded to the Armada back in January for Saint
John’s own 2013 first-round pick. He played six games with the club, recording
a goal and three assists, before going down with a knee injury. He has not
played since January 13.

So what does this mean regarding the Tesink trade case
thing? We really don’t know. But, you have to think this helps Saint John a bit
with the injury not being that serious.

Despite not having the Saint John native in their lineup
for most of the second half, the Armada finished third overall in the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League with a 41-19-2-6 record. They then beat the
Acadie-Bathurst Titan in five games in the first-round and swept the Val-d’Or
Foreurs in the quarter-finals.

This will certainly be the Armada’s toughest test of the
playoffs so far and Tesink’s return could make a significant impact. In 41 total QMJHL games this season, the St. Louis Blues
prospect has 17 goals and 24 assists.

There is only one other former Sea Dog still playing in
this year’s post-season and that is Stephen MacAulay of the Halifax Mooseheads.
Their series against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies begins on Saturday at the Metro
Centre.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

As you’ve probably heard by know, the PEI
Rocket/Islanders announced this morning that the Quebec Major Junior Hockey
League franchise is indeed for sale.

All this was confirmed at a press conference this morning in
Charlottetown. From The Guardian:

Sarge Savard Jr., president and governor of the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League team, confirmed Wednesday the league has offered to
buy the struggling franchise.

And Serge Savard Jr., Rocket president and governor, said
he's taking the money, somewhere around $3.5 million, unless he can find a
local buyer or buyers for the team.

The league contacted the Rocket on Monday with the
proposal.

If a local buyer is not found by April 26, the team will then reportedly be heading to Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
where it will be owned by a group featuring François Beauchemin, Marc-Andre
Fleury, and Marc Denis.

The Rocket averaged 1,805 fans per game this season,
third worst in the league. Savard said at today’s press conference that the
team lost over $300,000 this past season.

It’s not really shocking to see the Rocket struggling
financially. Since moving the Island in 2003, they have made it past the first-round
of the playoffs just once. It’s probably for the best that the franchise finds
a new owner(s) - but not many fans wanted it to go like this.

There are plenty of questions surrounding this thing, one
of the big ones being what happens to the division alignment and schedule if moved.
These aren’t fun times in the Maritimes.

It definitely has to hurt for Rocket fans. They are
coming off one of their best seasons ever and were excited to see the transition to
“Islanders” this summer. Now… this.

RDS reports that the PEI Rocket/Islanders are for sale.
Apparently a local group has until April 26 to purchase the club from the
Savard family or the team may be bought and moved to Sorel, Quebec.

More on the Rocket/Islanders rumours in The Guardian. The
Rocket/Islanders had originally planned to unveil their new logo this week but
that has been postponed.

According to a bunch of Quebec media folks on Twitter,
the Remparts will be making a bid to host the 2015 Memorial Cup. They last
hosted in 2003. As for the Sea Dogs, they’ve been quite silent about their
future plans for some time now.

The MHL Final began last night with the Summerside
Western Capitals taking on the Truro Bearcats. Former Sea Dogs Danny Chaisson,
Spencer MacDonald, Jason Seed, and Grant West all had points in the game. The Caps won 4-3. Game 2 is on Friday night.

Tesink was traded to Blainville-Boisbriand in January in
exchange for Saint John’s own first-round pick. He played six games with the
Armada - recording a goal and three assists – and then was hit with a knee
injury that has kept him out of game action since January 13.

Then the Armada complained to the league saying that the
Sea Dogs traded damaged goods. A hearing was held forever ago. Yada Yada Yada.
It’s mid-April and we still don’t know what’s going on with any of this.

The Armada have had a fairly easy ride through the
playoffs so far, beading the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in five games in the
first-round and then swept the Val-d’Or Foreurs in the quarter-finals. They
have a big test this round, going up against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

The Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks,
signed the soon-to-turn-21-year old defenseman to an amateur tryout agreement on April 2. Gagne signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the
Ducks back in March.

Norfolk currently sits eighth in the AHL’s Eastern
Conference with a 36-30-4-1 record. The Admirals have five games remaining this
season including another matchup with the Sharks tonight in Worcester.

Gagne was able to join the Admirals after his Rimouski
Oceanic were upset in the first-round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
playoffs by the Gatineau Olympiques. He registered a goal and an assist in six
post-season games.

Friday, April 12, 2013

The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect had three goals and
three assists as his Rouyn-Noranda Huskies ended the Quebec Remparts’ season with a
6-1, Game 5 victory on Friday night. The Huskies win the quarater-final playoff
series 4-1, advancing to the semi-finals for the first time since 2008.

Jean-Sebastien Dea added two goals for the Huskies while
Mathieu Brisebois also scored. Alexandre Belanger only had to make 14 saves for
the win.

Quebec, who finished the regular season with the fifth
best record in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League at 42-21-3-2, lost the
first game of this series 6-1 on home ice and never seemed to recover.

Remparts forward Mikhail Grigorenko, who spent most of
the second half playing with the Buffalo Sabres, only had two goals in this
five game series. Quebec’s import situation this season was bizarre to say the
least.

It’s the second straight year the Remparts have been
eliminated in the second-round. In the Patrick Roy era (2005-06 to present) the
club has made it to the semi-finals three times and the league final just once.

Rouyn-Noranda, who finished eighth overall in the QMJHL
with a 40-24-1-3 record, will play the top-ranked Halifax Mooseheads in the
semis. That series is expected to start on Saturday at the Metro Centre.

The other semi-final will feature the Baie-Comeau Drakkar
and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

In last year’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
quarter-finals, three of the four series went to a Game 7. This year, three of
the four have ended in sweeps.

The Halifax Mooseheads, Baie-Comeau Drakkar, and
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada are all moving on thanks to four-game sweeps that
were completed this evening.

Former Sea Dogs forward Stephen MacAulay had an assist in
Halifax’s 5-3 victory in Gatineau, ending the Olympiques’ season. Gabriel
Bourret, who also won the Memorial Cup with Saint John in 2011, ended his
junior career with Gatineau with a -3 performance.

The Armada advanced with a 2-1 win over the Foreurs in
Val-d’Or. Ryan Tesink did not play.

The Drakkar moved on to the semis with a 2-1
victory over the Tigres in Victoriaville. It was a good run for the Tigres who
eliminated the Moncton Wildcats in the first-round.

The only series that is providing some decent drama is
the Quebec Remparts/Rouyn-Noranda Huskies matchup. The Huskies lead the series
3-1 now thanks to a 5-4 overtime win. They can advance to the semis with a
victory in Game 5 on Friday in Rouyn-Noranda.

So, the Drakkar (No. 2 seed) will face the Armada (No. 3
seed) in one semi-final. The Mooseheads (No. 1 seed) will play the winner of
the Quebec/Rouyn-Noranda series.

Looking ahead, how awesome would a Baie-Comeau/Halifax
final be? All Saint John fans found out last year that Drakkar fans are crazy. Add the Nathan MacKinnon draft drama to that mix? Oh… oh my.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Sea Dogs are having an equipment sale thing this
week. From the team:

Over the next 3 days the Saint John Sea Dogs are hosting
a hockey equipment sale to liquidate all remaining hockey gear from past
seasons. In all, there is over $20,000 in both unused and game worn gear for
sale. Items include skates, game used sticks, protective equipment, underwear,
skate mats, pants, goalie gear, hockey socks and more!

Obviously these rankings are based on talent and do not
consider what teams are picking where in the top 10. Cape Breton currently has the first overall selection while Shawinigan will pick second followed by Saint John at No. 3.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Former Sea Dog Stephen MacAulay scored again on Saturday
night, helping the Halifax Mooseheads win 5-0 and take a 2-0 series lead in
their best-of-seven second-round playoff series against the Gatineau
Olympiques.

MacAulay now has five goals and an assist in five playoff
games this year. His career high in post-season points is 13, set last year.

Ryan Tesink did not play again but the
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada did not need him to take a 2-0 series lead over
the Val-d’Or Foreurs with a 5-4 win on Saturday. Baie-Comeau also took a 2-0 series lead
over Victoriaville with a 6-2 win and Quebec evened their series with Rouyn-Noranda
at 1-1 with a 4-2 victory.

Huberdeau now has 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points
in 39 games with the Panthers. He still leads all NHL rookies in points, two points
ahead of Ottawa’s Cory Conacher. Huberdeau’s 13 goals are also the most amongst
rookies.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Only three former Saint John Sea Dogs remain in the hunt
for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s President’s Cup.

Stephen MacAulay of the Halifax Mooseheads, Gabriel
Bourret of the Gatineau Olympiques, and Ryan Tesink of the
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada all remain in action. The QMJHL’s quarter-final
playoff matches began last night.

As expected, Tesink did not play for Armada. He has not
played since January 13 due to a knee injury.

The Armada easily got by the Val-d’Or Foreurs in Game 1
of their series last night, winning 10-1.

Bourret and MacAulay are facing each other in this round
after the Olympiques pulled off a big upset over the Rimouski Oceanic in the
first-round.

MacAulay opened the scoring in Game 1 last night, connecting
at 2:23 of the first while shorthanded for his fourth of the post-season.
Bourret got a game misconduct at 14:21 of the first for slashing and the Moose
scored twice on the power play to lead 4-0 after one. They added three more to
win 7-0.

In other action, Rouyn-Noranada surprised Quebec with a
6-1 win at the Colisee and Baie-Comeau edged Victoriaville 5-3.

Some other stuff:

Sea Dogs play-by-play man Tim Roszell called last night’s
Mooseheads game on News 95.7 with John Moore away. Roszell is also calling
tonight’s Game 2 from the Metro Centre.

50/50 total pot was over $40,000 at the Metro Centre last
night. Attendance was 9,895, about 600 short of a sell-out.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Even with the Saint John Sea Dogs eliminated, several
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League teams are still playing. Weird, I know.

The second-round of the President’s Cup playoffs begin
this evening. After an exciting first-round that featured some upsets, the
quarter-finals look a bit different than what many expected. Here’s who is
playing who (regular season finish in brackets):

Gatineau Olympiques (13) vs Halifax Mooseheads (1)

Victoriaville Tigres (11) vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar (2)

Val-d’Or Foreurs (10) vs Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (3)

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (8) vs Quebec Remparts (5)

Here are some second-round playoff predictions and
thoughts from some solid websites.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

For the first time in a long time, the Cape Breton
Screaming Eagles finally had something go their way.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League held their draft
lottery today to see whether the Screaming Eagles or Shawinigan Cataractes
would select first overall in this year’s Entry Draft. Cape Breton, who has
finished well below .500 for the past three seasons, won the lottery.

The Screaming Eagles finished dead last in the regular
season this year with a 14-46-3-5 record.

The Saint John Sea Dogs, who finished 16th
overall, will pick third overall in the draft unless the league somehow screws
that all up with the Ryan Tesink thing.

The Scouting Report has a couple articles on some of the
top prospects for this year’s draft. The consensus seems to be that forward
Nathan Noel, a St. John’s native who played at Shattuck St. Mary’s this season,
is the top Atlantic Canadian available. The Hockey News' Future Watch magazine said that Noel has not made a decision on which route to take - junior or college. So...

Saint John also owns Rimouski’s first-round pick thanks
to the Kevin Gagne trade. Here are all of Saint John’s draft picks, via the French boards:

Former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Kevin Gagne has
been named the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Defenseman of the Year for the
2012-13 season.

Gagne was named the Émile “Butch” Bouchard Trophy winner last night in Montreal at the league’s annual Golden Puck Awards ceremony. Former Sea
Dogs defenseman Simon Despres won the award in 2011.

Gagne was also named a first team all-star.

It’s been an eventful few days for Gagne. The club Saint
John traded him to in December, the Rimouski Oceanic, were upset in the first-round of the President’s Cup playoffs by the Gatineau Olympiques despite
finishing fourth overall in the regular season. With his QMJHL career complete,
Gagne signed an Amateur Tryout Contract with the American Hockey League’s
Norfolk Admirals.

Gagne signed an entry-level contract with the Admirals’
parent team, the Anaheim Ducks, earlier this year.

It was quite an overage campaign for the Edmundston
native. He had 11 goals and 23 assists in 31 games with Saint John before being
dealt in December. In 31 games with the Oceanic he recorded six goals and 31
assists. He added another goal and an assist in six playoff games.

Gagne finished second in league scoring by defensemen with 71
points, third in goals with 17, and led the circuit in helpers with 54.

Originally drafted by Saint John in the second-round of
the 2008 QMJHL Entry Draft, Gagne spent four-and-a-half seasons with the Sea
Dogs, helping the club win three straight regular season titles, back-to-back
President’s Cups, and a Memorial Cup.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

With the Rimouski Oceanic eliminated, the American Hockey
League’s Norfolk Admirals announced yesterday that they have signed former Saint John Sea Dogs defenseman Kevin Gagne
to an Amateur Tryout Contract.

The Admirals' NHL parent club, the Anaheim Ducks, signed
Gagne to a three-year, entry-level contract on March 6.

Gagne, who the Sea Dogs traded to Rimouski in December,
had six goals and 31 assists 31 regular season games with the Oceanic in the second half. He added
a goal and an assist in six playoff games as the Gatineau Olympiques upset the
Oceanic in the first-round.

The 20-year old spent four-and-a-half seasons with Saint John, helping the Sea Dogs win three regular season titles, two
President’s Cups, and a Memorial Cup.

Gagne is nominated for the QMJHL’s best defenseman award.
The annual Golden Puck Awards take place tonight in Montreal.

As for the Admirals, they currently sit ninth in the AHL’s
Eastern Conference with a 33-30-4-1 record. Their next game is on Friday
against the Binghamton Senators.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The
Moncton Wildcats have removed Danny Flynn from behind the bench after a first
round playoff loss to les Tigres de Victoriaville. Flynn has been in the
Wildcats system for many successes, including the 2006 and 2010 President’s cup
victories, where he was an associate coach and head coach (respectively).

But
after a respectable 6th place finish for the Wildcats this year,
they suffered an embarrassing playoff collapse to 11th place Victoriaville,
who had 14 less regular season points. Moncton went 1-1 at home in the
series before dropping three straight in Victoriaville. This is the third
consecutive year that Moncton falls in the first round, but the first time that
they fall while holding home ice advantage.

Speculation
about Flynn’s replacement leads us two hours down Highway 2 to Fredericton, where University of New Brunswick head coach Gardiner MacDougall
is coming fresh off another CIS championship. MacDougall’s team only lost 5
regular season games (out of 28 in the AUS season), which placed him top in the
AUS. UNB finished the season with a 9-1-0 run.

MacDougall
has been with UNB for 11 years now, and has a shelf-load of achievements during
his stay. Along with five National Championships, he has the most wins in an AUS
season, when the team went 31-1-1 in 2008. In 2011 he topped that record
bringing the Varsity Reds to a CIS best 27-1 record, which included 26
consecutive wins – giving him a perfect record going into the last game of the
year. He has also been named coach of the year for various regions and
conferences, the most notable being the 2010 CIS coach of the year award.

The AUS
to QMJHL is a big jump though, both in terms of players and scheduling. The Q
features over two times as many games, plus an additional extensive playoff
schedule. All of this comes with a large increase in travel. MacDougall will
need to brush up on his “francais” as he would be spending far more time in Quebec if he takes on this role. That alone could be enough to entice
any AUS coach away from the position.

Behind
the bench will see further challenges, including a step down in maturity level,
but perhaps a step up in commitment. Players
will range from 16 – 19, compared to his university roster where players
generally start at 21, with more playing experience. Another component is the important role of
fighting in the CHL, whereas it is completely forbidden in CIS. As a Coach,
adjusting to fighting in the game after it being all but banished for the last
6 years would be an interesting transition.

University
hockey also has the benefit of hand picking their players and enticing them with
scholarship packages, as opposed to the mostly democratic draft in the Q. Oh,
and not only drafting, but let’s not forget about the trading process which is
completely foreign to the CIS. But luckily Flynn is staying on as director of
hockey operations, and he will be able to help MacDougall (or whomever) along
the way.

It is a
daring move to recruit a coach from the AUS to come start fresh in the QMJHL.
The differences are overwhelming. Flynn spent time in the OHL, NHL and,
briefly, the AUS, before settling in Moncton.

It seemed somewhat appropriate that the team known as the
“PEI Rocket” saw their season and history end, once again, in the first-round of the Quebec
Major Junior Hockey League playoffs.

The Rocket have called PEI home since the 2003-04 season and
only once – their first season – did they make it past the first-round. They've missed the post-season entirely twice and were eliminated in the opening round
seven times. Given their history, it’s for the best that next season they will
change their name to the “PEI Islanders.”

PEI saw their season come to an end this year with a
triple-overtime loss to the Val-d’Or Foreurs in Game 6 last night. Yan Pavel Laplante had
all three Rocket goals but it wasn’t enough as Cedrick Henley scored 1:03 into
the third extra frame to give the Foreurs a 4-3 victory and a 4-2 series win.

Shots in the game were 63-58 in favour of PEI. There were
only three penalties called in the entire game.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Robert Irving, President of the Moncton Wildcats,
announced today that Danny Flynn will transition on a full-time basis into the
role of Director, Hockey Operations for the Moncton Wildcats, and will no
longer continue with his previous coaching responsibilities.

The organization would like to thank Danny for his past
contribution and for his continued support in the future.

The search for a new Head Coach will begin immediately,
and it is the Wildcats anticipation to fill this position within the next
several months.

The Moncton Wildcats are committed to a winning hockey
program, which our fans have come to expect and we will continue to operate the
hockey club on this basis.

Boom goes the dynamite.

Not that surprising. It’ll be interesting to see who the
Wildcats bring in as head coach because, as we all know, Irving certainly has
the funds to bring in a big name.